Southampton have reportedly made a first move to sign an in-demand free agent for manager Russell Martin.

Who did Southampton sign this summer?

The Saints have had a busy few months both on and off the pitch following relegation from the Premier League to the Championship last season.

Martin came in as the club’s new manager and wasted no time in adding to the squad. At the end of the window, Southampton brought in a total of eight new players.

Shea Charles and Ross Stewart commanded relatively big fees for a second-tier side from Manchester City and Sunderland, whereas Ryan Manning and Joe Lumley arrived on free transfers.

Meanwhile, four Premier League players – Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Mason Holgate, Flynn Downes and Ryan Fraser – signed on loan from Manchester City, Everton, West Ham United and Newcastle United.

There were also a number of departures, with Southampton bringing in over £150m in player sales. The likes of Romeo Lavia, Tino Livramento, James Ward-Prowse, Nathan Tella, Mohammed Salisu, Moussa Djenepo and Mislav Orsic all made permanent exits.

Martin was looking forward to the prospect of focusing on football and not the transfer window, though, saying:

"The best bit of the job is when you get to work with the players on the grass. The fewer disruptions you have, the bigger the focus is from the players.

"I think as a club we’ve navigated through this window of change so well. But we will still improve and the window shutting will definitely help with that."

However, despite the window slamming shut at the beginning of the month, it looks as if the Saints are still looking at possibly adding to their squad in the free-agent market.

According to TEAMtalk, midfielder Xeka is attracting plenty of interest in England, with Southampton and Championship rivals West Brom making enquiries to the player’s agent.

Alongside the second-tier sides, Xeka is also being looked at by Everton, Crystal Palace, Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers as well as clubs in France, Italy, Spain and Turkey.

Who is Xeka?

Xeka is 28 years of age and can play as a central, holding or left midfielder, so would provide a versatile option at St Mary’s.

The Portuguese midfielder is valued at €6m by Transfermarkt and is best known for his time in France with Lille. He made 144 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, contributing to 16 goals, and has also represented the likes of Stade Rennes, Braga, Dijon and SC Covilha throughout his career.

Xeka has been without a club since the middle of August, and as per FBref, the player has been compared to former Saints midfielder Oriol Romeu, now with FC Barcelona, over the past 365 days.

He has ranked in the top 4% for pass completion, top 6% for blocks and top 8% for passes blocked, so he could prove to be a shrewd pick up for whatever club manages to secure his services, and by the looks of things, Southampton are trying to do just that.

A "relentless" Arsenal player can now leave as soon as the January transfer window, according to an exit rumour this week.

Latest Arsenal transfer news

Following the signings of club-record acquisition Declan Rice for around £105 million, versatile defender Jurrien Timber, forward Kai Havertz and goalkeeper David Raya, the north Londoners remain unbeaten and are keeping chase with the Premier League's big hitters.

Folarin Balogun, Granit Xhaka, Matt Turner, Auston Trusty, Pablo Mari, Kieran Tierney, Rob Holding, Nuno Tavares, Marquinhos, Nicolas Pepe, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Albert Sambi Lokonga all moved the other way before summer deadline day – either on loan or permanently – in a real Emirates Stadium overhaul.

Arsenal have won four out of their first six league games, and are also in the Last 16 of the EFL Cup after a 1-0 win third round win over Brentford in midweek. Narrow one-goal victories over the likes of Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Everton bring attention to Arsenal's grittier side, but Arteta is disappointed to have been stopped by Tottenham in the north London derby last weekend.

The Spaniard said it felt like two points dropped as Spurs matched them toe-for-toe on their home turf; perhaps highlighting that work may still need to be done on the squad as a whole. Reports have suggested that Brentford star Ivan Toney is a transfer target for the forward areas, and a swoop as soon as January hasn't been ruled out.

Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomande has also been linked recently, but if Arsenal sporting director Edu is to bring in more fresh faces after spending over £200 million, there is reason to believe that certain squad members could make way.

Who could leave Arsenal?

Midfielder Emile Smith Rowe was linked with an exit over the summer window and it remains to be seen whether those rumours will surface again. Another star mentioned as a possible outgoing, in recent days, is Italy international Jorginho.

Both players have struggled for consistent starting places this year, so it is no surprise that there have been murmurs over the duo potentially leaving. In the case of Jorginho, an update has emerged this week, courtesy of a report from Italy.

According to Sport Italia and journalist Federico Calabrese, the 31-year-old "can leave in January", as he is not central to Arteta's project moving forward. Indeed, his departure "could even take place" in the winter, with Jorginho's contract set to expire in the summer of 2024.

January represents the final chance for Arsenal to make any sort of profit off a possible sale, and the reporter adds that Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbache are set to come back in for ex-Chelsea star after missing out earlier this year.

The Champions League-winning ace has been praised for his quality in past seasons, with former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel calling him "relentless" in defence.

"Jorgi is a very strategic player," said Tuchel in 2021.

"He knows what to do in possession, he can imagine what is going to happen one or two passes ahead and he knows where to help out in short distances and longer distances.

"As well as this, he is relentless in defence. He wants to help everywhere on the pitch. He has a huge ability to run a lot for the team. Maybe he lacks the high speeds, but he compensates with a lot of work-rate and anticipation in his defensive work."

Nazmus Sadat’s scooped four off Rishi Dhawan’s final ball of the match earned his team a spot in the Dhaka Premier League for next season. In the thrilling relegation play-off match in BKSP which had all the emotion of a contest for survival, Brothers Union defeated Agrani Bank by four wickets.Needing nine runs off the final over, Sadat took a single off the first ball before Debabrata Das fell next ball. He had made 73 off 62 balls with six fours and three sixes, one of four fifties that propelled Brothers Union to 335 for 6.After Das’ dismissal, Sadat took a two and a single off the next two balls, before getting the strike back for the last ball with four runs needed to keep his club afloat. His audacious shot sunk Agrani Bank who had only earned promotion to the DPL this year. They now join Kalabagan Krira Chakra as the two clubs demoted to the Dhaka First Division Cricket League in the 2018-19 season.Brothers Union’s win also put to shade Soumya Sarkar’s blazing 154 off 127 balls that contained 11 sixes and nine fours, his first century in any competitive match in nearly three years. Soumya and Dhawan added 171 runs for the fifth wicket, which took Agrani Bank to 307-5 from a precarious 136 for four.Dhawan made an unbeaten 65-ball 80 that had nine fours and a six, but he saw helplessly as Agrani Bank’s last five wickets fell in the last 18 balls, adding just eight runs. In all the big-hitting carnage, Sohrawordi Shuvo and Shakhawat Hossain took three wickets each.The Brothers Union openers Mizanur Rahman and Junaid Siddique added 121 runs in just 13.4 overs before Mizanur fell for 62. He struck nine fours and two sixes in his 45-ball knock. Junaid, who top scored with 83, then added 77 runs for the second wicket with Myshukur Rahman. Junaid hit eight fours and two sixes but even after he fell in the 29th over, Myshukur and Das continued the onslaught. They added 88 runs for the third wicket with Myshukur making 82 off 95 balls with five fours and a six.The three partnerships took Brothers Union to within 49 runs of Agrani Bank’s 334, which they toppled thanks to Sadat’s cool thinking in the last over.The thrilling encounter sets up the DPL’s finale nicely, as Abahani Limited and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club have all to play for in the final day of matches in Mirpur and BKSP.

Burnley are now in the race to sign Colchester United forward Bradley Ihionvien, with a report revealing that a number of Premier League clubs could be set to do battle for his signature…

Who did Burnley sign in the summer?

The Clarets overhauled their squad in the summer, following the promotion from the Championship last season, and the vast majority of the new arrivals are 25 and under, with manager Vincent Kompany willing to put his faith in a youthful team.

However, the approach is yet to yield any positive results for Kompany's side, who are currently bottom of the Premier League table, having lost their opening three games, although they have faced tough opposition in Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

Summer signing Lyle Foster has recently opened up about Burnley's start to the season during his media duties for national side South Africa, saying:

"It's a tough league. You can't make too many mistakes, otherwise you will be punished but I'm enjoying myself and with the young team we have, we can only grow and learn more from this, especially the first three games which were tough and world-class opponents,

"It's a long season ahead, but I believe in this team. We are three games into the season and we can't be pressing panic buttons."

Although it has not been the best of starts to the season, Kompany seemingly remains committed to his approach of signing young players, with Football Insider revealing the Clarets are now in the race for 19-year-old Colchester striker Ihionvien.

However, a whole host of other clubs are keen on signing the youngster, including Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Watford and Norwich City, so there is sure to be stiff competition for his signature.

The "powerful" striker has caught the eye of clubs higher up the football pyramid after impressing for Colchester in the early stages of this season, having made his first-team breakthrough at the back end of the 2021-22 campaign.

As the left-footed forward is out of contract at the end of this season, there is an indication he could be available for a cut-price fee, with Colchester now bracing themselves for interest.

Who is Bradley Ihionvien?

The English youngster came through the youth ranks at Colchester, and he has gone on to establish himself in the first team this season, scoring two goals in 178 minutes of League Two action this season.

The most recent of which came less than five minutes after being brought on as a substitute against Tranmere Rovers, showing manager Ben Garner that he is worthy of a start at home against Mansfield Town this weekend.

It is still very early days in Ihionvien's career, so it is difficult to tell whether he would be able to make the step-up to Burnley, but they should continue to run the rule over him ahead of the January transfer window.

Until then, Kompany will be hoping Foster continues his fine form in front of goal, with the South African finding the back of the net twice in his opening three Premier League games.

A two-season wait finally comes to an end for two-time winners Chennai Super Kings, who face defending champions Mumbai Indians in the season opener at the Wankhede

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy06-Apr-20183:27

Agarkar: It feels like CSK have picked a team for Chennai conditions

Big pictureMay 24, 2015, Eden Gardens. We didn’t know it then, but this would be the last bit of on-field action for Chennai Super Kings for close to three years. An inconsequential top-edged four in a big defeat, in their sixth IPL final.On Friday, Super Kings will be back, with a team full of familiar names and sentimental favourites, and while they would have liked to play their comeback match in front of their home fans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, this is probably the next-best thing: Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede. The IPL’s two most successful franchises, head-to-head, in the opening match of a new season.Despite all the upheaval between that 2015 final and now, there’s a remarkable number of old storylines still at play when these two sides meet: half of the 22 players who lined up for that match are still part of the two squads, with two – Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu – crossing over from blue to yellow.Taken too far, however, continuity can turn into stagnation, and that’s a danger Super Kings, in particular, will have to guard against, with their squad containing 11 players in their 30s. It’s also a squad that looks a touch unbalanced, loaded with spinners and light on pace options and power-hitters. It might be just the right squad for the slow turners that they typically play on in Chennai, but perhaps not for flatter, bouncier pitches – like the Wankhede, for instance.Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede, then, will be a massive litmus test for Super Kings’ adaptability, right at the start of the season. Any early cracks they show will be ruthlessly pounced upon by every other team.Chennai Super Kings have a superior head-to-head record over every franchise except Mumbai Indians•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

In the newsStephen Fleming, the Super Kings coach, has confirmed that Faf du Plessis is unavailable for selection. Du Plessis is recovering from a finger injury that troubled him all through South Africa’s recently concluded home summer, an injury that was aggravated by a painful blow from (Mumbai’s) Pat Cummins during the Johannesburg Test.The likely XIsMumbai Indians: 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Rohit Sharma (capt), 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Mitchell McClenaghan, 9 Mustafizur Rahman, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Rahul Chahar.Chennai Super Kings: 1 M Vijay, 2 Sam Billings, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Mark Wood.Strategy puntShane Watson has struggled against left-arm spin in the IPL since the start of the 2015 season, scoring 100 runs off 105 balls while being dismissed ten times. M Vijay (5.84 per over) and Sam Billings (6.41), meanwhile, have poor scoring rates against spin in the Powerplay overs of T20 games. Given that these three are Super Kings’ main options to open the batting, Mumbai should seriously consider giving Krunal Pandya the new ball.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Stats that matter Super Kings have a positive head-to-head against every team in the IPL apart from Mumbai, against whom they have won 10 games and lost 12. Since the start of the 2015 season, Rohit Sharma has had difficulties against legspin, having been dismissed nine times in 27 innings against that type of bowling while striking at 113.7. His IPL record against Imran Tahir is middling: 50 off 42 balls while being dismissed once. MS Dhoni has become a distinctly slower starter in recent seasons of the IPL. Until the end of the 2014 season, he made his runs at a strike rate of 122.35 across the first ten balls of his innings. Since the start of the 2015 season, that number has dropped to 98.97. If JP Duminy starts for Mumbai, Super Kings should look to bowl their offspinners against him at every opportunity. He has career T20 strike rates of 84.3 against Harbhajan Singh and 92.00 against Suresh Raina. Kieron Pollard doesn’t bowl that much these days, and he probably shouldn’t bowl anyway on Saturday. Almost all of Super Kings’ batsmen have towering strike rates against him in T20 cricket, with Suresh Raina (180.4), Shane Watson (179.6), MS Dhoni (177.1) and Dwayne Bravo (145.2) leading the way.Fantasy picksEvin Lewis comes to the IPL with a massive reputation and a stunning T20 record. The one question mark all highly-rated overseas players have before they start their IPL careers is whether they can handle top-quality spin. As things currently stand, that isn’t an issue with him – against pace, he averages 31.37 and scores at 8.93 per over; against spin, the corresponding numbers are 38.41 and 8.84. Plus, as a less-known quantity to IPL attacks, the start of the tournament is perhaps the time when oppositions won’t have formulated highly specific plans against him. With all this in mind, the hard-hitting Trinidadian should be an excellent fantasy pick.Quotes”It’s hard to read it right now. It’s very dry underneath. It’s tough one to read. Usually it plays pretty well. This time of the year the average score is 165. We’re expecting there will be good pace and carry. Dew factor… there’s a lot of aspects of it to consider… but think it’ll be pretty good.”
“I would like to keep that as a surprise. Our middle order is very good and we have got good openers in Evin Lewis and Ishan Kishan. We will see on the 7th where I bat. I would like to keep that as a surprise.”

Following on from what was a dismal 2022/23 campaign for Leeds United, the newly relegated side were forced to endure something of a mass exodus during the summer transfer window, with a host of first-team assets choosing to jump ship rather than ply their trade in the Championship.

Despite having been largely responsible for the club's drop back into the second tier – amid the chaos in the dugout – those figures seemingly couldn't get out the door quick enough, with 15 senior players ultimately moving on before the September deadline.

Among those to depart were a number of players who had only been signed over the previous 12 months during Jesse Marsch's ill-fated time in charge, with the likes of Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen moving out on loan following their dismal debut campaigns.

There were also exits for the likes of Marc Roca and Max Wober – two players also signed under American – with such additions ultimately proving something of a wasted venture for the Leeds hierarchy as they failed to stave off the drop.

One asset that the Whites were likely more frustrated to see depart, however, was United States international, Tyler Adams, with the 24-year-old having been an "instrumental" cog in Leeds' midfield machine last season, as per pundit Kevin Campbell.

While an undoubted blow to see the former RB Leipzig man depart during the recent window, it does look as if the Yorkshire side were able to play a blinder with the sale of the midfield maestro, amid his plummeting valuation since departing Elland Road.

How much did Leeds pay for Tyler Adams?

The New York native had spent the previous three years in Germany prior to eventually making the move to Leeds last summer, with the defensive-minded ace having initially begun his career on the books at MLS side New York Red Bulls.

With 103 appearances under his belt for Leipzig in all competitions – scoring twice and recording just four assists in that time – the American was targeted by Marsch and co as the man to replace Kalvin Phillips in the centre of the park, following the latter man's £45m move to Manchester City.

Having worked under the then-Leeds boss previously, Adams was seemingly keen on a reunion with his compatriot as a £15m deal was ultimately sealed, joining his international colleague, Aaronson in also making the move to Elland Road that summer.

How good was Tyler Adams for Leeds?

Initially, the signing of the 5 foot 9 sensation proved a real masterstroke for the Whites, with the "tackling machine" – as hailed by Campbell – cementing himself as a truly dominant and destructive asset in front of the back four.

Amid a positive start to the campaign which saw Leeds and Marsch win their opening three Premier League games, the suggestion was that Adams had smoothly picked up where Phillips had left off before him, as pundit Noel Whelan stated:

"He’s aggressive, he reads the game, he’s never flat-footed – and watching him every week, I have to say that he’s one of the best defensive midfielders in the league at the minute. It’s what Kalvin Phillips used to do and he’s stepped right into his shoes. I don’t think we would’ve expected anyone to be just as good as Kalvin was in that area."

Such class was evidenced by the fact that the 36-cap international ultimately ended the season ranking joint-fourth in the division for tackles made – alongside Casemiro – with that coming despite missing the final 12 games of the season.

A player who also averaged 5.2 tackles and interceptions per game from his 24 league outings that season, Adams was evidently crucial to everything that was good about the club in the early phase of the campaign, hence why things unravelled following his injury setback in March.

Tyler Adams' Premier League season by numbers (2022/23)

24 games

24 starts

0 goals

0 assists

5.2 tackles and interceptions per game

57% total duels won

82% pass accuracy rate

1.0 key passes per game

Stats via Sofascore

With Leeds ultimately winning just two of those final 12 games that the midfield 'machine' was absent for, it could even be argued that such a loss culminated in their eventual relegation, with few managing to step up in his absence.

How much did Leeds sell Adams for?

Following on from that frustrating end to 2022/23, rumours were unsurprisingly rife that Adams would be on his way following the drop into the second tier – with a shock move to rivals Manchester United having even been heavily mooted.

Despite coming close to sealing a high-profile switch to free-spending Chelsea – only for the deal to collapse – it was AFC Bournemouth who ultimately won the race for his signature towards the close of the window, with the Cherries forking out a reported fee of around £24m.

Not only did that represent a profit of around £9m in the space of just a year, but such a sale also allowed new boss Daniel Farke to acquire the likes of Joel Piroe (£12m), Ethan Ampadu (£7m) and Glen Kamara (£5m) – as TEAMtalk's James Marshment noted – three players that could be crucial in the promotion push this season.

Of course, there may have been those hoping to have sold Adams for an even greater price considering the nature of the modern market, although the player's current valuation would suggest that the club played a blinder by selling him for as much as they did.

How much is Tyler Adams worth now?

It is fair to say that it has been a frustrating start to life at the Vitality Stadium for the £60k-per-week asset, having thus far failed to feature after struggling with injury in the early weeks of the new season.

Those woes have contributed to the fact that the Bournemouth man is now said to be worth just €10m (£9m), according to CIES Football Observatory, with that representing a decline of £15m since his exit just under a month ago.

While that situation may change once Adams is fit and firing again, it is not as if Farke and co are particularly missing him at present, with the aforementioned Ampadu, in particular, already shining, as the Yorkshire Evening Post's Joe Donnohue has stated:

'At 22, he remains younger than predecessors Tyler Adams and Kalvin Phillips when they each rose to prominence at Elland Road, but has already demonstrated a proficiency at the base of Daniel Farke’s midfield allaying fears that Leeds would not, or could not, adequately replace the aforementioned duo.'

As such, much like Adams briefly filled the void of Phillips, the American's place in the side has now been adequately filled by Ampadu, with those at Leeds hardly left to rue the exit of the one-time Leipzig man.

Tammy Beaumont reprised the run-hungry form that earned her the Player of the Tournament award at last year’s World Cup, as England completed a come-from-behind 2-1 series win

The Report by Andrew Miller15-Jun-20182:49

‘Heather Knight is captain cool’ – Beaumont

England 232 for 3 (Beaumont 105, Knight 80*) beat South Africa 229 (van Niekerk 95) by seven wickets
ScorecardTammy Beaumont reprised the run-hungry form that earned her the Player of the Tournament award at last year’s World Cup, as England completed a come-from-behind 2-1 series win over South Africa with a seven-wicket victory in the third ODI at Canterbury.Set a target of 229 after a mixed South African innings that featured a powerful knock of 95 from Dane van Niekerk as well as another masterclass of wicketkeeping skills from Sarah Taylor, Beaumont’s 105 guided her team’s fortunes, as she and Heather Knight (80 not out) added 154 for the third wicket to seal the series with 36 balls to spare.It was a one-sided final flurry from England, as Beaumont completed her fifth ODI hundred from 121 balls with 13 fours. It was her third against South Africa, and second in the space of three days, and though she fell lbw to Marizanne Kapp two balls after sealing this latest landmark, Knight and Nat Sciver carried England home with no further alarms.It was England’s most complete performance of an entertaining and competitive series – and it secured their ninth consecutive series win against South Africa since their rivalry began in 1997.A major factor in the ease of England’s victory was undoubtedly the early extraction of their nemesis from the opening two contests, Lizelle Lee, who was thwacked on the pad by a big inswinger from Anya Shrubsole for 2. Replays showed that the ball would in fact have missed leg stump, but Lee’s own reaction had been one of horror as she missed a booming drive, and with no recourse to DRS in this series, it was a hammer blow to South Africa’s hopes of setting an imposing total.Nevertheless, Lee’s opening partner, Laura Wolvaardt, set herself to anchor the innings, and after Andrie Steyn had fallen lbw to Sophie Ecclestone’s fourth delivery, she found in van Niekerk an equally determined partner. The pair added 103 for the third wicket, albeit with the assistance from some lacklustre catching from England’s fielders, who shelled three chances. Even so, it took until the 32nd over for South Africa to post their 100, as they were tied down by some diligent line and length from Georgia Elwiss in particular.Van Niekerk stepped up her intent as the front-line seamers, Shrubsole and Katherine Brunt returned to the attack. Wolvaardt, however, found the change in pace harder to compute, and after a fine 64 she holed out tamely to mid-off off Elwiss. Her departure, however, wasn’t the worst result for South Africa, as it brought the aggressive Chloe Tryon to the crease, and she displayed her credentials with a volley of boundaries before picking out Amy Jones on the long-on rope.The outstanding moment of the innings, however, was still to come. That came with van Niekerk on 95, and eyeing up her maiden ODI hundred. Taylor was standing up to the stumps against Brunt, the quickest bowler in England’s ranks, when she scooped a leg-side delivery down at her ankles, and whipped off the bails in a single motion. It was a breathtaking display of class from a keeper who had already pulled off one leg-side blinder in the series opener. This was arguably even better.Moments later, Sune Luis was caught by Sciver before Kapp drilled a drive straight back to the spinner, Laura Marsh. South Africa’s innings ended with a hat-trick of line calls: two run-outs in a row followed by the first-ball stumping of Shabnim Ismail – Taylor, for once, fumbled the initial opportunity, but still had time to recover before the batsman had remade her ground.In response, Beaumont and Amy Jones set a platform in an opening stand of 39, and though Beaumont was fortunate with one lbw appeal, on 16, she barely played a false stroke thereafter. She and Knight made light of a rare misjudgement from Taylor, who played across the line to the impressive Ayabonga Khaka, but by the end, they were displaying the poise of champions. South Africa’s women, however, had proven without doubt that they have closed the gap to the world’s leading teams.

Babar Azam has been ruled out of the remainder of the Test series against England after fracturing his forearm following the blow he took from Ben Stokes on the second day at Lord’sBabar was on 68 when he was hit on his left arm – he was not wearing an arm guard – and after assessment in the middle he retired hurt. He did not go straight for an x-ray but did not return to bat for the remainder of day. Cliff Deacon, the Pakistan physiotherapist, said an injury like Babar’s would see him out of action around four to six weeks.”We decided we were going to do a precautionary x-ray at the end of the day’s play,” Deacon said. Unfortunately, the x-ray confirmed there was a fracture. The fracture’s in the forearm, it’s one of the two bones in the forearm in the distal third of the arm, just above the wrist. That’s why he couldn’t hold his bat properly.”The Pakistan management have decided not to call up a replacement batsman. The squad includes Usman Salahuddin, Fakhar Zaman and Sami Aslam as spare specialist batsmen.Babar has been billed as Pakistan’s next big batting hope after a strong start to his international career. However, it has been his limited-overs form that has really stood out, with him averaging 53.00 and 51.11 in T20Is and ODIs respectively while his Test numbers have remained more modest.Before this match he was averaging under 25 in Tests, and is yet to score a hundred, making the injury, coming as it did when he was playing so well, all the more ill-timed.

MatériaMais Notícias

Apesar da eliminação no último domingo (25) pela Copa do Brasil, o jovem torcedor do Leão Ícaro Gandaia, de apenas 11 anos de idade, tem passado por uma semana que, certamente, ficará marcada para sempre na sua memória com carinho especial.

Depois de apresentar boa recuperação de um quadro mais agudo de anemia falciforme (doença crônica e genética que fragiliza a formação dos glóbulos vermelhos) e podendo agora encerrar sua reabilitação em casa, ele recebeu um recado especial de um integrante do plantel de Rogério Ceni.

O atacante Osvaldo enviou uma mensagem de apoio ao torcedor mirim que, assim que se deu conta do que se tratava, se mostrou muito emocionado e também emocionou as enfremeiras e funcionárias do hospital que ajudaram a preparar a surpresa.

Confiraabaixo a mensagem de Osvaldo e a reação de Ícaro Gandaia

RelacionadasFortalezaApesar de eliminação, Rogério Ceni avalia: ‘Coloca o Fortaleza em patamar mais alto’Fortaleza26/10/2020São PauloNos pênaltis! Volpi salva, São Paulo supera Fortaleza e vai às quartas de final da Copa do BrasilSão Paulo25/10/2020FortalezaQuatro títulos em dois anos: Fortaleza comemora sucesso na gestão dentro e fora dos gramadosFortaleza24/10/2020

O Fortaleza compartilhou a história do jovem torcedor Ícaro Gandaia, que tem anemia falciforme e recebeu um recado especial de Osvaldo desejando uma boa recuperação. As palavras do atacante emocionaram o torcedor e foi uma cena bonita de assistir. #gefortaleza pic.twitter.com/6QnRX8PQOG

— Beatriz Carvalho (@4biacarvalho) October 27, 2020

Ícaro Gandaia sofre com Anemia Falciforme, uma doença hereditária. Sabendo que o pequeno irá se recuperar em casa, fizemos questão de gravar um vídeo do nosso camisa 11 desejando forças para esse guerreiro. A reação dele foi essa aí.

Uma plena recuperação para você, Ícaro.❤💙 pic.twitter.com/MPjAi8Kyii

— Fortaleza EC ⭐️ (@FortalezaEC) October 27, 2020

By inverting his middle-order, the CSK captain created confusion. A touch of madness, perhaps, but as always there was a method to Dhoni’s madness

Deivarayan Muthu in Pune21-May-20184:37

Agarkar: Bizarre changes from CSK in batting line-up

At a recent promotional event, MS Dhoni was asked: “[Erwin] Rommel, the legendary German general, said no plan survives contact. How do you relate that to cricket?””After the first ball is bowled, it’s only chaos,” Dhoni replied. “What you are trying to do is you’re trying to manage the chaos. It’s not like a script that happens. My coach Stephen Fleming often comes and does that. He says ‘mate, Lungi [Ngidi] can bowl the first over, then somebody else second’ and so on. Yes, I know who are the bowlers and they will bowl at some point of time. But it does not work like that. It’s about adaptability.”T20 cricket is all about managing chaos. Mohit Sharma had Chennai Super Kings’ gun batsman Ambati Rayudu nicking off for 1 in the last league match of IPL 2018. At the other end, Ankit Rajpoot was hooping the ball around on a well-grassed Pune pitch that might have reminded him of his stint as a net bowler in South Africa earlier this year. He teased Faf du Plessis’ outside edge before finding it in his third over. He then bowled Sam Billings with a perfectly pitched ball that jagged away past the outside edge. CSK were 27 for 3 in the fifth over in pursuit of 154.Rajpoot might have expected Dhoni or Dwayne Bravo to walk out and face the hat-trick ball. Instead, Harbhajan Singh was promoted to No. 5. He averted the hat-trick but could have been out next ball had Aaron Finch not dived to his left at second slip and got in the way of a straightforward catch for Chris Gayle at first slip. In the next over, Harbhajan nearly ran himself out. Then came the devil-may-care slash to the point boundary. Kings XI needed to limit CSK to 100 or less to sneak into the playoffs. So, it made sense for Ashwin to bowl Rajpoot out in a bid to make further inroads into the CSK batting line-up.Harbhajan, however, kept swinging for the hills against Rajpoot and connected with a length ball that he biffed over extra cover. He saw out Rajpoot’s spell and left Kings XI twitching. He ultimately fell lbw attempting a big slog-sweep against an offbreak from R Ashwin. CSK were now 58 for 4 and the asking rate was ballooning towards 10. The packed Sunday crowd at the MCA Stadium was waiting for Dhoni to come out and prick it. Instead, Deepak Chahar was promoted to No. 6.BCCI

CSK’s coach Fleming had endorsed Chahar’s batting skills earlier in the tournament, but this was a tough chase on a tough pitch. Chahar and Suresh Raina, however, quietly tapped the ball into the gaps and narrowed the equation to 73 off 36 balls.In the next over, Chahar lined up Ashwin and hit him for three boundaries, including a languid loft over long-off. It had his former Rajasthan captain and former Rising Pune Supergiant assistant coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar tweeting: “Deepak Chahar is not a slogger like most think. He is a talented batsman capable of surprising the best of the bowlers in the #ipl18.”And surprise he did with 39 off 20 balls at a strike rate of 195 and – as per ESPNcricinfo’s new T20 metrics – a Smart Strike Rate of 274.36 on a pitch where even some of the frontline batsmen struggled.”I can’t say it was our plan [bowling to a pinch-hitter],” Kings XI coach Brad Hodge said at the post-match press conference. “MS and his side were in a position to pull guys up [the order] and have confidence in them. MS does these sorts of courageous stuff and that’s why he’s a champion and that’s why they are a champion team.”We look to emulate such things and we know we’re short on experience compared to Chennai Super Kings but hopefully in the coming years, whatever group comes together, we will learn those traits and hopefully have the courage to have trust in them to get the job done.”Dhoni, on his part, explained that CSK had sent in the two pinch-hitters to throw the Kings XI bowlers off their lines and lengths. “Sending in Bhajji [Harbhajan] and Chahar creates a bit of chaos,” Dhoni told host broadcaster Star Sports. “The bowlers all of a sudden bowl yorkers, offcutters, and bouncers. When [top-order] batsmen are batting, they stick to a good line and length, but against Bhajji and Chahar, they lose their line and lengths instead of sticking to the plan. Plus Bhajji and Chahar could come in handy during the playoffs.”When Chahar holed out at the start of the 17th over, CSK needed 40 off 23 balls. Raina brought up his fourth fifty of the season and then Dhoni provided a blockbuster finish with a hooked six. Chaos managed. Top-two finish in the league phase confirmed. Over to the Pune-Mumbai expressway for Qualifier 1 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Wankhede Stadium on May 22.